The Zone: Unanswered Questions
by Dooley
Summary: It's all over and everyone's headed back for Washington, with some new friends along for the ride. But how will the pack take Embrey and Pablo? Why are Rose and Emmett leaving? Something else you were wondering? READ THE ZONE FIRST.
1. Telling the Pack

Annnnd, it's back. I swear, these companions could go on forever if I really tried.

**If you're here and you have not read _The Zone_-- STOP, and go read it before continuing. Kay. **

This companion will be a series of one shots, each answering a question that was left purposefully unanswered by _The Zone._ The fun part is, if you _really_ were dying understand something that I never go around to, then just go on and ask, and there's a good chance I'll answer it for you in your own chapter.

Now these companions will most likely all be a series of one shots, each updated as the one shots are finished, so there may be a couple of companions going at once. If I ever get around to them... Also, check out my other new story, _String Theory_.

I won't keep you from reading any longer, if you haven't skipped this already.

Enjoy.

* * *

"I'm nervous." I laughed lightly at his fidgeting.

"How am I more at ease than you? You're not the one that's going to be put through the wringer." He brushed his thumb over my hand and I watched him pull away after. A part of me wanted to reach out and take his hand back, but I didn't. For once, I wasn't as at ease as I said, but it wasn't about meeting the pack.

Why was I doing this? Moving nearly a thousand miles away for some _guy_ I just met?

"Carlos, you okay?" I looked up and Embry, his eyes filled with emotions I couldn't even grasp. That's why.

I remembered why this had started in the first place. We were alone on the floor of Ol'Factory, Ness was up checking on Sophia. Then he asked me.

"Do you believe in love at first sight?" I had stared at him, shocked but then I remember laughing.

"What?" It sounded ludicrous, but he had looked deadly serious.

"Well. There's no other way to say this but... well, you know I'm a wolf like Jacob. A shape shifter that takes the form of a wolf." I had nodded but inside I was desperately curious about him. He was pretty, I had observed, but Sophia was all that was on my mind when we met. I didn't think about him much. But then, Sophia alive because of _his _amazing logic and just him and me in the room, he was all I could think about.

I knew that they'll ask me if I'm gay. I seem to always have answers, mostly because I'm good at making bullshit sound comforting, make it sound like it's _just _what you need to hear, and that question, I can't answer. I'm not. Being with a man never crossed my mind, but really, neither did being with a woman. I wasn't a lonely person and wasn't often taken by romantic feelings.

I was an observer. I had observed how empowering Sophia was the first time I met her. I had observed my parents dislike moving just as much as I, so when we left Monterey the first time, I didn't complain. I had observed how devastatingly beautiful Ness was the moment she stepped through the Ol'Factory doors. I observed her fierce love and saw the same love in Jacob before he even really knew my name. And I observed the quiet intensity that was Embry Call and my nature wanted to know more.

When he continued, I remember leaning forward, taking his words in like water in parched earth. But he had almost changed the subject. He was watching the top of Ness's head bobbing around the kitchen window as she made the food for us.

"Their relationship is amazing," I had murmured and he then had looked at me sharply. "What?"

He had instantly tensed, and I saw that immediately. I remember relaxing myself completely, trying to relax him as well. He only fidgeted.

"You know... you know it's not all--" He had struggled for the right words. "--It's not all...normal. Their love isn't like everyone else's. Wolves don't love like the rest of the world." A fire burned within me. I needed to know just what he meant. I had leaned forward, face engrossed by his-- his eyes uncertain, his mouth moving to give me the knowledge I needed.

And then he had kissed me. It was hot and urgent, not my first, but certainly the first of it's kind. I remember not being sure what to do with myself. I'd never been kissed like that. Every kiss I had prior was an experiment, a test of spark. Here, the spark was undeniable though most of it came from his urgency, but I still hand nothing to do with my hands.

He snapped back quickly, as if he had been burned—or more as he had burned _me_ and I knew he was instantly ready to apologize.

I spoke before he could. "Well. That was a surprise." I had laughed before he could apologize. He did it anyway. I remember smiling at him. "I'm not really sure why you're interested in me, but I'm not upset. Just surprised."

He looked nearly terrified and the fire burned within me. I couldn't help myself from asking, "_What_?" I think I had surprised him with my own urgency, my desire to know. He blinked then blushed.

"Wolves...do this thing..." He didn't look at me. "It's called... imprinting." Suddenly, he gushed, "Jacob imprinted on Ness when she was a baby and since we don't age until we give up our shape shifting, he grew up with her and now, here they are. A lot of other wolves have imprinted. My friend Quil imprinted on a little girl. Paul imprinted on Jacob's sister. He hates that. And our first alpha imprinted _while_ he was in a relationship with another girl-- who ended up to be a wolf herself." He took a breath and I wasn't satiated.

"What is it? Imprinting? What does it mean?" That was the most I had heard him ever speak. I remember wanting to hear his voice again.

He was looking at his hands. "It's sort of like... a life threatening compulsion. Or at least that's what it feels like to us." He laughed at his own personal joke, that now I understood. "We thought it was for breeding. So we would have the perfect mate for even more perfect offspring to advance the tribe. Now... I know that _that's _not true."

Right then, I had wanted to kiss him again, if only to get him to speak again-- feed me knowledge. "Have...you?" Then, Embry looked up at me with an intensity that made the breath catch in my throat.

"Yes." His voice had come from deep in his chest and I _heard_ the animal in him, that was one with him. The next think I knew, I was pressed against the couch I had been sitting on the edge of, his weight on me and his lips on my own.

There was an exchange of passion that wasn't sexual, an excitement that had nothing to do with lust or love. His very being needed me as much as my every being needed to just _know_. We didn't move, just pressed into one another and I didn't think twice about it. It just was.

Back in reality, there, sitting next to him on a cold bench on some sleepy street in Forks, Washington, I felt it then too. The need to just _know_ what it meant to be adored and devoted to. On the way up, he has indulged every detail of what it was to imprint, what it was to be a wolf, what it was to live on a reservation, and any question I needed answered to satiate me. And yet I was never satisfied.

I remember Embry blushing deeply when I asked him if imprinting made him want to have sex with me. I was fascinated by his reactions, but I was driving Ness's old '68 Mustang back for her at the time and had to watch the road.

"No...and yeah, I guess." He had answered. "The feeling isn't lust by any means. But...okay, so I think the lust comes because we think it should. These intense emotions are felt for _one _person, and we know that there isn't another in the world that makes us feel this way. So the next step is sex in other relationships, so it's like we're tricking ourselves into it. As Quil watches Claire grow, sex doesn't cross his mind once, mostly cause it's gross because she's 10, but it only proves that the imprinting doesn't cause sexual desire. It just comes on it's own."

I remember grinning at him, "So, all your dirty thoughts about me are just because you think I'm hot, right?" It was a joke but I also realized it was slightly true and to comfort him, I had dropped my hand to his seat, brushing it against his leg.

I knew how to comfort people, but I was still a bit rusty on any sort of...sexual touch. On the bench, we sat close together, for my benefit. I was _not_ used to Washington cold and Embry volunteered to be my personal heater. He was practically sweating in the light jacket he wore for appearances.

"Are they meeting us here?" Embry nodded at my question, running a hand over his shirt hair. It looked soft.

"Her and Jacob are due back today and then as soon as they do, we're over to the rez to meet the pack. Jake had Billy get the pack together. They're about ready to pull their hair out because we wouldn't talk to them ourselves." He smiled fondly.

"What do you think they'll do?" Embry looked nervous again.

"I _really_ have no clue. The young ones... well I have seniority, they wouldn't get themselves in trouble by pitching a fit. But... I'm more worried about the guys. I mean... Quil, Paul, Sam and Jared. It was us from the beginning. And even though they've all imprinted-- they should understand. I'm just..." He faded off.

I used a cold finger to lift his finger to look me in the eye. "Everything will be fine." Comforting was something I could do. He smiled at me, but I honestly didn't want to take my hands off his hot face. Embry's smiled turned from grateful to knowing and he opened his jacket. My hands were instantly inside and I leaned my forehead against the crook of his neck, bundling in close for warmth. He did the same to me, for the comfort of our touching, heat the farthest thing from our mind.

I listened to footsteps pass us and I turned my head to the side and watched them go. It was a couple, the pairs of feet belonging to big man and a small woman. I heard him scoff and I knew it was at us. Embry stiffened and when they were gone, he sat up.

"I need to take care of something." His voice was stiff and the moment he was gone, I was freezing. But it was okay. He obviously had something to do. Embry ran up the street without another word. There I was, totally alone in a new town but I was okay.

I leaned back on the bench, wondering what Forks had to offer me. Embry and I had arrived the day before and I was put up in a small motel down the street, but going there seemed silly. As soon as we had hit the Olympian forests, Seth asked me to drop him off. He wanted to run home. Embry wouldn't leave unless he promised to keep his thoughts away from me and Embry at least until we could tell the pack.

Watching the people mill around on the overcast Saturday afternoon was interesting in it's complete mundaneness. Everything was so ordinary—but this was life in Forks and watching it was fascinating. How the smallest things filled a whole day, I couldn't guess, but I was so willing to learn. I watched a man with a fishing pole wander to his old pick up and toss the pole into the back bed. He sniffed and wiped his nose with the back of his hand before spitting on the sidewalk in one direction as his body worked in the other to open the truck door.

A woman passed then, arms filled with paper grocery bags. When she got to the crosswalk, I noticed money was sticking out of her pocket, ready to fall out.. I would have told her of it if not for teenager walking past, who pointed it out with a smile. When she couldn't reach it, he respectfully tucked it in, and went on his way.

Next, a big man walked by, looking as if he was made of muscle. He was looking for someone as he stalked down the sidewalk, arms not quite able to lay flat against his sides because of the size of his biceps. He looked every which way as he went, then called a name, "Claire?"

I watched, now only interested in him, as the thought that this could be one of Embry's brothers was not lost on me. The man pushed into a shop and was out again in a moment, calling the name again. I was up in no time, crossing the street in a few wide steps.

"Do you need some help?" The man whirled on me, a bit surprised.

"Uh, yeah, if you don't mind." A part of me knew that he didn't need my help. There was a lot these guys did for appearances. "I'm looking for my niece. Her name is Claire. She's ten." It was Quil, I knew it then.

"Where'd you see her last?"

"At the post office and she said she'd be at the shop down the street. She must have just ran off. She does it a lot." He smiled a little sheepishly.

"I'm used to that, except it's my best friend." I thought of Sophia, still in Monterey. She decided stay back, to be sure Adair was really dealt with and would join us as soon as she was sure.

He laughed easily. "I'm Quil, by the way."

"Pablo." I shook his hand, reveling in it's heat. He didn't take as many precautions as Embry but he did watch me closely as our hands fell apart, gauging the stranger's reaction.

"I haven't seen you around-- you new to Forks?" I smiled in response, but inside, I fought with telling him I knew who he was. In the end, I decided it would only lead to awkwardness, to pretend I didn't know him, so I broached the subject.

"Yeah, actually. I'm moving up here." I paused a moment to give a take for recognition, "You wouldn't happen to be Quil Ateara, would you?" He looked instantly suspicious. I went on quickly, "I'm actually a friend of Embry's—and Jacob. We met in Monterey, through Ness."

He relaxed and looked jovial, "No shit, huh? And they actually got you to move from California to this place? You must be crazy." We kept walking and I looked where I was going so I didn't have to look him in the face when I spoke next.

"Well, it's a bit more than that, but I'm sure you'll find out today at the meeting." Quil stopped in his tracks and I instantly knew my fault. I shouldn't know about the meeting, not a tribe meeting and especially not a _pack _meeting.

"How do you know about that?" I was learning quick that one thing Quil wasn't was indirect.

"I... it's not my place to say, really." He stared at me through narrowed eyes. "I promise they'll let you know as soon as Jacob gets back." Mentioning Jacob took Quil's thoughts off of me and onto him.

"Still don't know why that crazy fucker left." I wondered if he talked like that around Claire. Probably not.

We were walking again, and he was still scanning for Claire. I wondered if he could smell her, in human form. If so, he must have been able to smell Embry all over me, even Seth. I spoke to keep the attention off of me, "He's pretty crazy about her." It was a stupid thing to say because it didn't mean anything.

Quil still didn't know how much I knew, so he treaded lightly, "Yeah. But that's no excuse to...leave us like he did." He felt betrayed, I could tell. They were friends before brothers and I assume Jake leaving everything without telling him must have sucked.

"The boy scout troop right?" I smiled like the unknowing dope, maybe it would lighten him up. "Ness told me."

He smiled at the joke he didn't think I understood, "Yeah. The troop is nothing without him. Brady can't get his knots badge without him."

A flash of black hair passed and I could only blink before Quil had a girl I assumed was Claire around the waist, lifting her up and swinging her around as she screamed and kicked.

"Gotcha!" He cried. I watched, engrossed. This was the relationship I was most interested in. The relationship that was forbidden for the time being. In Quil's face, I saw nothing but brotherly love, despite its intensity. And I understood Embry's theory about lust. And for Quil, the next step was lust, but only when it was appropriate. I wondered if he ever imagined what she would look like. I wondered if that should be wrong or not.

I watched her struggle against him until she was nearly crying of laughter. He put her down. "Listen, squirt, stop running off." In a second, she was off, running down the street like a little terror. Only to make Quil chase her, I knew. I wondered if Claire knew her fate. Was it fair to call it fate? Did she have a choice in the end, or not?

Quil gave me another look before saying goodbye and chasing after her. "I'm sure I'll see you soon," he called back and I didn't miss the edge of a threat. Watching him go was an odd feeling. He had given me so many things to think about. Thought, that was my favorite thing to do.

I walked back to my motel then, deciding I had enough encounters with those on the Olympic Peninsula to last me a for a bit. I would have _plenty_ confrontation to deal with soon. When I turned the corner I saw Ness's 2015 in the parking lot. A smile split my face as I picked up my pace to meet her. Passing the car, I saw it was empty and curiously headed to my room.

Ness and Jacob were inside, looking around awkwardly as every person did in a hotel room that wasn't theirs. I wondered how they got in, but it was gone in a second. It probably involved something supernatural.

Ness smiled at me when I came in and stood to hug me. She was positively glowing. "Hey, Pab." I held her tight. It was interesting how fast a bond could form between near strangers. I'd known her for just over a week and there I was, moving to her town. I am insane.

Jacob took a big hand and slapped it against my back. I turned to smile at him. "Where's Embry?"

I shook my head at his question. "He said he needed to take care of something." Jacob make a face.

"He just ran off?" There was a distress in his voice that I didn't miss.

Neither did Ness. "What's up, Cub?"

Jacob shrugged. "He imprinted...what? Four days ago? It's unlikely he would let you out of his sight for a second of that, not yet. Somethings up."

Ness looked worried. Jacob leaned over and dropped a kiss to the top of her head and then headed toward the door. "I'm gunna go find him." He inhaled deeply and then frowned. "I can't catch the trail." Before leaving, he took his shirt off and threw it to the floor. We watched him go.

Ness wandered over to the open door and watched him run, leaning down to pick up his discarded shirt. He looked slighly mad to be running around without a shirt while there was chance of snow, but we didn't think about it long. She closed the door and smiled at me again.

"How's Sophie?" I asked and her face looked fond.

"Great. I've never seen her work so hard though. She's been in Moss Landing nearly 24/7, trying to track people down to see if they've heard anything from Adair." I nodded. She looked at me intensely. She was wondering how I was...how I _really_ was. I could tell. "You wanna go for a walk or something?"

I rolled my eyes. All these supernatural beings with overblown body temperatures. "I'm good here I think," I responded, smiling. She looked a bit sheepish, with a look to my thick jacket—the kind you have shoved in the back of your closet in Monterey from that one time you went to Tahoe, that still has the ski lodge tag on it.

Ness came over and the bed sagged underneath me as she sat beside me. "How you doing?"

I looked at my hands fondly. "It's strange. I'm _so invested_ in learning more about this whole thing that... I'm not even sure how I feel. I mean, how was it for that one girl...the imprint of the alpha?"

"Emily." She supplied.

"Mm... I mean... I feel like understand, at least superficially, what he is going through. But does that mean I'm suddenly supposed to be in love with him?" Ness nodded knowingly.

"We all think about that. Every single one of us. I still catch Jacob looking at me sometimes, with that look. All of us imprints have come to know that look. They look like they're apologizing."

"Like you'd ever be sorry that Jacob loves you."

Ness made a noise, "See! I've known you for like a week and a half and _you_ get it. I can't see why those egg heads can't." I laughed.

"I don't think I've heard _anyone _in this decade use the term 'egg heads'." She laughed with me, but as it waned, she looked at me seriously.

"Don't feel obligated to love him." I blinked at her, completely surprised. I had expected to hear that from Embry—said with that same intensity I'd come to relate to only him-- but Ness was the one who was supposed to give me the girly romance stuff. She caught me look and smirked blithely. "I'm sure you never saw yourself spending the rest of your life in Washington state with a man. On a reservation. Really, don't act like everyone will think you'll step into this smoothly."

She sighed, "It's different for all of us. With Jared, the girl he imprinted on was his own age and she had _the biggest_ schoolgirl crush on him. Still does. It was easy for her. With me and Claire, we grew up with our wolves. Even then, Jacob only had to wait a few years for me, and most of that I was mentally way older, never had a young moment in my life." I smiled at that.

"And Claire's just a regular girl. I can tell she's already totally in love with Quil. Right now, it's just a preteen thing—if there was a poster of Quil, it'd be up on her wall and she'd kiss it every night. Soon though, it will change. It will feel totally natural for him and at the time, it will be like a dream come true for her. We just have to wait to see if when she gets older, see if...well, on the rez they call it a relapse. Billy told us of in the past generations, when this sort of thing happened. Once, as the girl got older, she felt trapped and ran away. Nearly killed her wolf, literally. He ran himself dry—fighting himself I internally—trying to find her to stop the physical pain of not being near her but also the fact that because it's what she truly wanted, he couldn't question it." I was completely engrossed in the story.

"She came back eventually, feeling stupid for leaving such a perfect life. She didn't realize how much he did to make her comfortable. She didn't even need to apologize, he accepted her back in a second—but she felt like she would live the rest of her life making up for it. He retired soon after that..."

"To grow old with her?" Ness nodded. "A relapse, huh? Does that only happen with young imprints?"

She shrugged, "I'm not sure. But I think it's more the personality of the imprint. She was the type of girl who needed to be free, ya know. Claire's not that at all, not now at least. We just have to wait."

I sat, soaking in the story and the new knowledge. I had already realized that my first few months here would be bliss for me, learning new things everyday. I fiddled with my hands and she put her warm, pale one down on them to still it.

"_Don't_ worry. Just worry about being his friend. Get to know him. I would say meet his mom, but she's a bit of a bitch, so don't even try. She nearly kicked him out when she found out about his shape shifting—imagine what she'd do if she found out he's with a guy." She smiled at me, trying to lighten the mood. It didn't do much. When she saw that, she continued what she was saying before, "With... with Emily, it was different. Sam was in a pretty committed relationship with someone else. And it just... happened. It just goes to show the sort of _power_ that imprinting has over the wolves. We can only imagine. And Emily tried to refuse him.

"It was hard all around. Sam tried to spare Leah, tried to ignore the imprint, and since he was the first, he didn't understand it all. And Emily tried to live her life—tried to get away from her cousin's weird stalkerish boyfriend. In the real world, all these wolves need is a good restraining order." We laughed a bit. "But it's their _entire being_ that tells them to be with us. Their whole existence is protecting La Push and keeping their imprints happy. That's it.

"... Emily fought it. But we all sorta...give in. As sadistic and weird as it sounds, it's the truth. Imprinting isn't as romantic as it sounds. There's a succinct reason for it. You don't have to pretend that you're in love with Embry...well until you actually are."

Ness didn't have any doubt in her mind that I'd fall in love with Embry. But I wasn't even sure if I was capable of love that went beyond friendship. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I treated nearly every close friend of mine as a loved one. From the outside, I looked like I was in romantic relationships every which way. It was just _me. _But could I actually...do it? A part of me was extremly sad that this happened, a part of me was sure I wouldn't take the next step and Embry would be left unsatisfied or worse, in pain.

I liked that Ness let me sit and think—without interfering. As much as I needed her support, this was an innately personal and internal affair. She simply held my hand and after a few minutes, she squeezed it to regain my attention.

Quietly and sympathetically, she said, "It's time to." I sighed and stood. She hugged me tight for encouragement. "I'm sure Jake and Embry will meet us there."

When we went outside, I headed for her car while at the same time, she headed around the building. We both stopped and looked at each other. She smiled at me, "We're not driving, kid."

I followed her, confused. Behind the building, she pushed into the forest line. I stood awkwardly as she looked at me expectantly. "Hop on." I blinked at her.

She sighed and leaned over in front of me. Smiling at my awkwardness she spoke, "I've been an a car for an ungodly amount of time and I'm finally home. I'm _not _getting in a car for a week, if I can help it."

It was weird for me to realize that all the time I knew Ness, she had been holding back—to not be too strong, to not be too fast—and that here in Forks, she could let loose a little bit. I put my hands on her shoulders and she pulled me to onto her back without any more help with me. Her hands were tight on my wrists and my chest was heated by her back against me.

Then she ran.

It was the most exhilarating experience of my life. I couldn't keep my eyes open as the icy wind cut by but the feeling of it freezing my face was indescribably freeing. The never ending flash of green shooting by nearly made me sick as my eyes tried to focus through the nearly closed slits. I buried my frozen face into her hair and hung on for the ride.

She laughed at my reaction and I pressed as close to her as possible, for warmth and strength. It wasn't a long run, and whether that was because of the distance or her speed, I couldn't tell you. Ness had to pry my arms from around her neck and thankfully because of our height difference, my feet were already nearly on the ground. I melted off her back and my knees bent generously before I could stand straight again.

Ness patted my back encouragingly, kind of like a Dad who just gave his 15 year old son his first taste of whiskey and I gave her a weak smile.

"I've never broken anyone in before. That was fun." She smiled at me and I took another deep breath.

"I don't know if that was the best think to keep me calm before this." She instantly looked apologetic but I held a hand to her, "I'll be fine. Let's just do this."

And so we went. I wasn't really sure what to expect from this meeting, like absolutely no clue. I had tried to imagine it, but it made me too anxious and I had a feeling Embry was trying to keep my mind off it too. We approached the forest line and the darkness of the heavy trees was waning. Through the brush, I saw my first glimpse of the meeting. Indeed, Jacob and Embry were already there and the wind must have still been rushing in my ears because I was surprised I didn't hear them sooner.

"You can't just up and _leave_ without a damn word to any of us!"

Jacob's fists were shaking, "Why can't you just understand me, Quil? Is it so hard to ask! I'm not fucking perfect-- _you _of all people know that. And besides, I _did_ tell someone." I recognized Quil easily in the nearly twenty people sitting on large logs placed in a huge circle filling the small clearing. Next I caught a look at Embry, who looked painfully distraught. They hadn't gotten to him yet and I was sure the anticipation was killing him. And the confrontation with Jacob probably wasn't helping. I stared at him for a long time, memorizing that face because I didn't ever want to see it again.

Next to Jacob, who was the only one standing sat a man who looked older than the others by ten years, merely in the sternness of his face. I could only guess it was Sam, sitting still as he let his brothers fight and ware themselves out before he gave final judgment. This was the face of an Alpha.

Around Embry, Jacob, Quil and Sam, sat two other men who watched with eyes and expressions that told me they were Jared and Paul, either or. On the side of one of them was Seth, who's usually happy face looked nearly as distraught as Embry. He obviously disliked turmoil in the pack and I knew from what Embry said, it was something he had to live through in the past. Next to him was lone girl in the circle shot Seth a look. I knew that was Leah and if I didn't know she was the only girl, I knew from the look, a obviously sisterly one. Otherwise she was sitting quietly with her face telling me the she was going to intervene soon-- the type of face that said she never kept her opinion in.

And then she did speak, voice low and firm, "He's right, Quil. He made sure his responsibility weren't let go-- he gave it to Sam. He did the right thing."

Quil looked like he would speak again when Jacob cut in, "Look. We're not here for me, alright, jackasses. We're here for Embry." The circle grew tense. None of them wanted to talk about Embry because they couldn't fathom anything more important than their Alpha troubles.

It took me a moment, wrapped in my observations to realize that both Embry and Jacob were staring directly at us, still hidden in the brush. The pack was to caught up in the argument when we approached that none of us took notice. I also realized that Ness has her hand on my arm to keep me from going out until we had a signal. Apparently, that was it, because the longer they stared, the more the pack began to notice. I felt the need to squirm when the younger wolves turned in their seats to look at what they were looking at.

Ness lifted her hand and as we took our first step, still not out of the woods, Sam spoke. "Jacob. Imprints do no attend pack meetings." His voice was stern. Ness kept moving, her head held high. I followed, tall behind her. All eyes were on me.

Quil's mouth dropped when he saw me, obviously not happy I was there. Embry broke the silence, standing to meet me. "Everyone, this is Carlos."

"You said your name was Pablo." Quil said and all the suspicion he had for me earlier on the street came to a bad impression.

"It is." Embry was firm suddenly, "We call him both. I'd appreciate it if you didn't look at him like that." The intensity was back and Sam looked at him, slightly surprised. It was the first time he was less than composed.

"What is this, Jacob?" There was no anger in Sam's voice. As an Alpha and an experienced Beta, and also someone who would call himself friend to Jacob, I'm sure he understood what it meant to bring an outsider to a pack meeting.

Jacob looked a Sam with a slight smirk. "We have a new member to add to our family." Ness squeezed my hand and smiled encouragingly. I couldn't look at the pack react, only at Embry looking back at me. His eyes were filled with his intensity and all nerve was gone. He would protect me, I knew, from anything the pack could do. I guess we didn't take into account his need to keep me whole, physically and emotionally.

"What the hell does that mean?" It was either Paul or Jared who spoke. He looked brash and unruly.

Embry faced him, completely composed and serious. "We've brought him here because we thought it would be better if you guys were all here. If anything, his arrival is important in our understanding of wolves."

Sam stood. Outside of the circle, all eyes on us was Jacob and Ness, then Embry and I, and Sam came to speak to us. It seemed a formal move and I was sensing there was understanding in these meetings, rules of etiquette that I didn't understand.

"Explain." Was all he said.

"Brothers, Embry has imprinted." there was a momentary wave of smiled, quiet congratulations for the most important moments in a wolf's life. But then a realization dawned and I watched each face, engrossedin the reactions.

"You imprinted on a guy?" Leah was leaning forward, her body opening from the closed body language she had before. She was genuinely interested in the anomaly. Her eyes scanned over me critically.

Embry nodded. "I understand that some of you may not understand-- especially those who have not experienced imprinting." I noticed a distinct look on some of the younger wolves faces, one of not-quite disgust.

Everything was very formal in the meeting, which was interesting because everyone would know the truth in their heads whenever they changed. Without looking, a big hand took mine and squeezed. I looked and Embry and smiled tightly.

Embry continued, "Now, this came as quite a surprise and at first, but it was every bit the same feeling that has been described to me by my brothers. I know this might be hard to accept for some of you and I don't ask you guys to like it. I only ask for civility." He paused and the deep civility of his voice was gone when he continued.

He sighed. "Look... I honestly don't think I'm gay..." I heard one of the wolves scoff, but Embry continued. "I think it's... a lesson to us wolves. Imprinting may just be all about an actual love match, and not evolving as we had thought. We've already set up a meeting with the knowing elders to discuss it."

Sam was looking at me when he spoke, "Thank you, brother, for bringing your imprint. This is a surprise and--" Sam sent a look over the entire pack, "--all of us will accept Carlos." He smiled lightly, "Emily will be thrilled."

He turned his entire body to the pack, "This meeting is dismissed." The pack stood simeltaneously. Some left immediately, others, like Quil and Leah, sat back down. The formality was gone. Jacob relaxed and reached out, pulling Ness to his chest with an exhale.

"Now that's over, we can really talk about this." I looked at Jacob, surprised. I wasn't aware there were two parts to this. Embry squeezed the hand he still held.

Quietly he filled me in, "We are supposed to respect in official meetings. They were set up by the elders to keep arguments to a minimum. I think Billy said they were tralked about in theory in past generations, but there were never enough wolves. It's easier to argue with only three wolves, but seventeen is just ridiculous." I smiled at him.

Quil stood up and confronted me angrily, "I can't believe you let me think you thought we were a boy scout troop." Ness snorted.

I smiled apologetically, "You were already suspicious of me, I thought if I let you know I knew that much, you'd think I was a threat." He looked momentarily disarmed because he knew I was completely correct.

"You guys met?" I nodded at Embry.

"After you left, he was looking for Claire. I thought I recognized him and I got curious."

Leah was beside me, holding a hand out. "Leah. But I'm sure you knew that." I shook it and her grip was stronger than mine. I smiled at her.

It seemed things were going okay. But I _knew_ that everyone left—Seth, Leah, Sam, Jared and Paul, Quil, and Embry, Ness, Jacob, and I—was holding something back. The same man who had spoke before, either Paul or Jared finally let go. I was sure it was Paul at that point with a lack of control.

"Doesn't _anyone_ see a fucking problem with this bullshit?"

Jacob stepped forward, "Paul--" Embry's hand was locked over mine, protecting it in it's own way.

"How can you even say that, you fucking hypocrite!" Everyone turned on Embry, completely taken aback by his vigor. But I was almost expecting it. He was going to protect me. Embry dropped my hand and approached Paul, got up in his face before he had regained his composure.

"You'd _felt this_." Embry's hands were clenched on the front of Paul's ripped white t shirt. "And you think that everyone should have a _problem_ with what makes wolves, wolves." Sam and Jacob had turned stone faced while Seth and Jared looked anxious. Leah looked a little delighted while Quil seemed uncomfortable, as if he didn't' know if he agreed with Embry or Paul. I shifted my feet, totally engrossed in the display of the pack dynamic, but torn up to know that they were angry over me.

Paul snarled and I noticed his fists shaking, "We should have a _problem_ because what _we _have is natural." He didn't mean we as in himself and Embry. He meant all other imprints and their wolves.

Embry's voice broke with pure livid emotion, "What I'm _not_?!" His voice was loud. He was more than angry. He was hurt and betrayed that someone—his brother—would change so whole heartedly his opinon of Embry simply because of me.

"That's _exactly_ what I'm saying," Paul's hands were still shaking as he pushed them against Embry's collar bones. He hadn't decided not to choke Embry. Then he did, "You and your little faggot need to keep that shit to yourself because wolves _don't _imprint on _guys_." That was it. I heard Leah scoff.

In a second, they had changed, their clothes exploding into strips on the cold, hard ground. Everyone was at them. Ness lunged for me, keeping me back. It was the first time I had seen his wolf. I wondered why I had never asked to see it before.

Paul snapped viciously at Embry and Embry was not different as they fought. Neither Jacob or Sam changed themselves, but worked to restrain the animals. I caught Embry's eye and for a split second, he looked terrified. But not of Paul.

When I heard the crack, my stomach lurched. Embry's acute howl was indescribable. A part in me broke at the sound.

Sam and Jacob spoke in unison, their voices taking on the same exact tone, "_Stop._" Instantly, the muscles of the tensed wolves relaxed, but their expressions didn't change. For that moment, they hated each other. After a moment of heavy, clenched toothed panting, they changed back, much slower than before.

Ness was at Embry's side immediately, leaving me slack jawed and alone. Leah touched my shoulders. "May I?" I blinked at her and without another word, she slipped my jacket off. Holding to me, I took it from her and followed her eyes.

Realization dawned as I rushed to join Ness, who was inspecting Embry's arm, bend sickeningly the wrong way. His teeth were clenched but as I draped by jacket over his bare body, he smiled at me. I knelt beside him. "Jeez, are you okay?"

He nodded and watched Ness, who was frowning. "Damn it, Embry! You're too fast." I watched, confused. She gripped his arm, right over the fracture and I felt a panic coming.

"What're you—" I heard that crack again, this time, much clearer. "What the _hell, _Ness?!"

All the wolves looked at me. I was the only one upset that she had just broke his arm a second time. Embry smiled softly at me, eyes filled with pain. "We heal fast, Pab." That would have been nice to know before hand.

Ness smiled at me, "His arm healed before we could set it properly." As she spoke, her hands agilely pressed his arm in the proper place. I was sure it was healed even before my unsease left. In everything, Embry ended up leaning against my chest, my hands resting on his waist, holding the jacket over him.

Paul was sitting, his back turned to us. Leah flipped off the blanket pancho she wore over her tank top and laid it over his shoulders. He gripped at it silently. Quil went over to him and took his shirt off and handed it to him. He put it on and then took Quil's offered hand to stand, wrapping the pancho around his waist.

"Keep it," Leah muttered.

"I have to meet Rachel." Was all Paul said before heading out of the clearing. Jared jogged after him, calling his name.

A silence passed over us. Sam was looking at me, thinking. "You have a place among us, Carlos. Ignore those that don't understand. They will, it's just a shock." I smiled at his trying to make me feel welcome. I could tell that he himself wasn't sure what he thought, but he understood what pack solidarity meant. He needed to be firm and not tolerate that attitude. I respected his need to maintain.

Embry twisted in my arms to see my face. "Are you okay?" I laughed him.

"Am I okay? You're the one who just broke your arm twice after a fight with a wolf the size of a horse." He relaxed against me, his head falling to my chest. It was the first time I had held him so close and I'm sure he appreciated it.

Ness patted my shoulder and stood. "I wanna stop by the house, Mom and Dad want me to check in." Jacob nodded once and she waved goodbye.

Seth took his shirt off and handed it to Embry. I was nearly shaking without my jacket and I was glad to be pressed against his hot skin. Leah looked perfectly happy in her tank top. She smiled at us.

"I'm actually really happy for you guys." I smiled back. "C'mon, Seth. Mom wants us over at Charlie's for dinner." Then they were gone. Quil and Sam exchanged looks. It was only us four in the field. Embry sat up and put on Seth's shirt. Sam held his hand out and Embry took it, standing awkwardly as he tried to remain decent. A hand was put in front of my face. I blinked. It was Quil.

I took it and he pulled me up, nearly off my feet because of his strength. He didn't let go of my hand right away and he stared me down. Finally, he smirked a bit.

"You'll do fine. I'll talk to Paul." I couldn't stop the grin that came out and his matched before patting me on the back. Quil and Sam both removed the rest of their clothes without shame and changed before running off, their paws pounding on the cold, hard ground.

Embry and I were alone. He smiled awkardly at me, struggling with the jacket. With a soft smile, I stilled his hands. He watched me as I tied the arms tight around him, the jacket almost big enough to go around him twice and just to make him feel more comfortable, I zipped up the rest.

"Thanks." He was shy again. He no longer needed to protect me but the intensity hadn't left his eyes.

I lifted his chin with my hand, making sure I could meet them properly. "That was...interesting."

He smiled up at me, leaning closer to me, "Everything's fine. Paul does that." His smile faltered a bit. "That was him... on the street."

I blinked at him. "What?"

"On the street. When you were...warming up. That was him an Rachel. He didn't know it was us. Apparently, my scents a little off. I smell too much like you and California." I smiled but he didn't return it.

"I shouldn't have left you there." His voice filled with a strange sort of guilt. "I... I got scared." I rememberd him tensing under me when that couple passed and scoffed at us. It was such a simple action but it meant so much to Embry. His face all but crumbled. "I was actually... double thinking my imprint. Maybe I got it wrong." The idea pained him, I could tell. "But when I left. It...hurt. And Jake found me. We talked. I got over it. But the fact it even crossed my mind.... Carlos, I'm _not ashamed of you_." He was so urgent.

I kissed him then. It felt the right thing to do. "I know." I paused, "Why did you look so scared... in the fight?"

He smiled sadly, "It happens. When regular people get to close to changing wolves... especially those out of control." When he met my eyes, I saw a tragic memory there, "Emily....Sam's imprint... has scars."

The breath caught in my throat. The thought... nearly hurt me. All I understood about imprinting, all Embry told me and all I've observed with Jacob and Ness-- Quil and Claire... and Sam _hurt_ her. I could only imagine how he dealt with it everyday.

He changed the subject, "Quil seems to like you."

I smirked, "Barely."

"No... he likes you. He just felt stupid for assuming, was too hard headed to admit it right away. Believe me. I've known if for a while. And Leah... she's practically ecstatic."

"She seemed nice." It was his turn to smirk.

"More happy for herself—no offense. It's just... our imprint means there's a lot more to wolves than we know. She's hoping that means there's more hope for her." I laughed.

"Still seems nice."

"You don't have to hear her every thought." I laughed again, my hands laid on his waist. He stared at me for a long time before speaking again. "This is the first time you've held me like this."

It was an observation.

"Yeah. I guess it is." We were quiet again.

"Have you thought about this...?"

"It's all I think about." That's all he needed and his grin made me happier than I had been for a while. Without thinking, my lips dropped to his. He pressed against me and my hand slid up his bare arm, resting against his neck and the side of his face.

My eyes opened just enough to see his face, to see is his face as we seperated for a quick breath then he moved back to kiss me again.

This was it. I didn't need to comfort him or reassure him. He didn't need to protect me or question my feelings. This was purely because I wanted it. And a part of me needed it. I could do this. When we breathed again, he nearly gasped when my tongue brushed across his upper lip. He pulled back, a hand covering his mouth. I laughed. I couldn't wait to see the Embry Jacob knew, the much less bashful one.

"Was that wrong?" He laughed at himself.

"I'm not used to this." I tested what it felt like to have my arms wrapped around his waist. He was warm and flush against me. It was and interesting to think I could easily remove the jacket around him.

When I kissed him again, I stopped thinking—stopped trying to label emotions and stopped trying to examine details—and simply let myself feel.

* * *

So, and EXHAUSTING piece to write. I didn't expect it to take four days and it's close to 9,000 words and I think it developed well. There are things I'm unsure of, but I'm pretty happy with it. It was fun to write from Pablo's perspective, definately different than Ness or Jake. I worked to make his voice distinct.

I hope you liked it, and **if there is something you're interested in seeing, then go on and let me know**. It will be greatly considered and appreciated. Review and keep an eye out for more from me. Really, it's my Winter Break and I have nothing better to do than write...


	2. Losing and Gaining a Coven

So because I've gotten a few requests, I've been considering another companion to The Zone, which will be called _**The Zone: After Hours**_**. **And I'm sure you catch the drift there. If you don't, it probably won't be your thing. It will be similar to the other companions, a series of one shots, and I'll be taking pairing requests.

Remember, any burning questions, PM me or review this with them and it will most likely be answered in a chapter.

Enjoy.

* * *

I watched Bella look around the empty room sadly. I smiled at her softly. "You still think like a human..."

She made a face that was meant to be agitated but they way her nose wrinkled made her look adorable. Her arms slid around my waist as she leaned against my chest. "I don't care. I'm going to miss them."

"They'll be back. All of them." I lay my head atop of hers. I got off lucky in our relationship. I had the luxury of remembering every detail of it, every touch and kiss, every time she called my name in her sleep, and every time she brushed her hair out of her face. I remembered how her skin felt hot and soft against my hard frozen hands. Like she would melt at any moment. But she never did.

Slowly, those memories would fade indefinitely for her. I never regret not changing her sooner—would have never had Renesmee—but a part of me felt bad that she didn't have the memories. Without pulling away from me, Bella spoke as if she were talking to me, "Alice, the room's clean."

Alice was beside us in a second, anxiously looking around the room, "Really? That's everything?" Then Jasper took her side, moving silently.

"I still don't understand why we're taking all our stuff." Alice gave him a look. _I want to at least pretend we're leaving for good. _Jasper didn't need to hear her thoughts to understand that and we shared a matching look.

Bella watched, annoyed. Then, their thoughts went silent and I smiled at Bella. "Calm down, you're not missing anything special." Her shield slipped away with a stubborn humph. I chuckled light and and held her waist tightly. "How're Rosalie and Emmett coming with their room?"

"Fine." Rosalie's voice came wafting lightly to us.

"Is Ness around?" Bella asked against my chest. I frowned.

"That's a no." Jasper smirked at me. "She went over to La Push with Jacob and Carlos."

We moved to the living room where boxes piled up with the Alice and Jasper's things. Emmet was coming in and out with his and Rosalie's. "She didn't come home last night," I complained.

Bella laughed. "Calm down, Papa Bear." I made a face that she found amusing. "She's been doing fine."

"Besides, it's not like they've done anything yet." Alice added.

"How do you know?" Emmett asked, dropping a box and leaving to get another without waiting for an answer.

He could hear it anyway, "I would have seen it. I mean I saw _your_ first time." She looked pointedly at us. Bella hid her face from Alice. I took my turn to laugh.

"What, you think it's embarrassing? Our beautiful night?" I teased.

"You _know_ how I am, really." Bella protested.

"Didn't stop you from talking to our daughter about our sex life." I had seen her conversation with Ness easily. It wasn't as if Nessie would try to hide it.

"She can hear it, anyways. It's not like it's a secret." Bella shrugged. Alice laughed a bit to herself.

"But wouldn't their little fractions be cute?" Jasper smiled at Alice's gushing, a large hand coming to pat her head lovingly.

"Yeah, some blood thirsty little mutts?" Emmett grinned at us, back in the room.

"Hey, don't talk about our grandchildren like that!" Bella admonished.

I cut in, "Bella, really. Don't encourage them. I am _not_ ready to accept that I could be a grand father at _seventeen_."

She rolled her eyes at me, "More like 113, old man."

I blinked at her. Vampires never really thought about actual age. "You really do still think like a human." She frowned. I smiled softly at her, brushing her cheek softly with my palm. "I like it." She looked up at me, eyes shining. "Not all of us have the luxury of being under thirty," I teased.

Bella sighed. "You don't ever think about it?" The sincerity of her question struck me.

"Think about what?"

"Grandchildren. I mean...we were worried enough about Renesmee... and if her pregnancy could be anything like mine. I don't think I could be as understanding you were." I hugged her close.

"We are _not_ going to be grandparents. We can worry about it if the time ever comes."

She smiled at me then, "So you're glad Carlisle has her on the pill?" I wrinkled my nose.

"I'd rather him never touching her..._ever_." Alice laughed at that.

"Yeah right, like you didn't think about ravishing poor little soft and warm Bella?" I shifted uncomfortably. Rosalie, who had come into the room, shot me a look.

Bella squeezed my waist. Alice made a face.

"C'mon. I thought we were beyond that." Jasper took her hand. "Really guys. Just because their relationship started out _completely_ shallow... Bella wouldn't be here now if it didn't mean anything."

I never got over the idea that I only started to love Bella because I was only attracted to her blood. We never talked about it because Bella would also have to admit she was only attracted to my vampiric good looks. Alice was right, though. If it was completely shallow, we wouldn't have tolerated her on that alone. I squeezed Bella's waist back.

"That's the last of it." Emmett grinned, "Should I bring it out to the Jeep?"

Everyone fell quiet. Esme came into the room looking slightly distressed, "Oh, we don't have to yet. You all have plenty of time." Emmett smiled softly at Esme and went over to kiss the top of her head.

"Yeah, Ma. Plenty of time."

Esme always got like that before one of her children left for an indefinite amount of time, always the fussy mother hen nothing willing to quite let go of her chicks. Carlisle was at her side instantly, an hand on the small of her back.

"Don't worry, dear. It's only a short time." Esme smiled but continued wringing her hands. Carlisle hugged her. She relaxed against his chest.

Bella smiled at them, sighing. I snorted and she jabbed me with her elbow.

"Boys, are you ready to go?" We all nodded, each hugging our respective mates and saying our goodbyes to everyone else. I was looking forward to my last hunt with Jasper and Emmett. When we left the house, Emmett took a deep breath and stretched.

"Where to, fellas?"

Jasper thought about it, "I caught the trail of some caribou yesterday, we could pick that up." Carlisle smiled.

"Sounds good."

And we were on the move. Jasper had, by far, the most acute senses of us all and in one deep inhale he found the day old trail. I kept speed with him even though, by that time, I had the trail too. I watched him surreptitiously. Everyone always trademarked Alice with the grace and agility but Jasper barely touched the ground when he ran.

The sun caught his skin through the canopy as we edged toward the Canadian border, and his scars shined sharply to my eyes. He looked at me and caught me staring but didn't say anything. He felt my sympathy for him.

He only smirked. "You think about me too long and I'll get all your best kills," Jasper teased. I smirked back and overtook him—the challenge had begun. He quickly caught up with me and I sped past him again. Suddenly, Emmett dropped between us from a tree with a wild call and was momentarily ahead of me before I let the lead out. Carlisle kept speed behind us, laughing at our race.

Emmet grabbed my shoulder and yanked with all his strength back. We all had our prowess—and his was strength. I was torn back but I did an easy back flip and landed softly on the balls of my feet. Jasper took the chance, shoving his weight off a tree to propel himself forward. He caught the next tree and kicked off again, nimbly moving from branch to branch.

I kept my speed straight, only weaving minutely for obstacles. Suddenly, Jasper veered off right and then I caught the scent.

"Oh, no, you don't, redneck!" I cried, racing after him. There was no way I would let him get pick of the mountain lion couple that was a mile east. Jasper snorted at me from his spot in the canopy as he moved seamlessly.

He let his accent go, as he had been doing more and more often, since he was no longer charading as Rosalie's twin. "Don't think a simple Yank's gunna beat me!" I laughed and kept my line.

Emmett and Carlisle continued to the caribou. _Meet you back here, _Carlisle called to me and I nodded to myself. We were to the lions in mere seconds.

We stopped in the trees high above them, stopping to lap at a small creek. It was then that the competitors became strategists and comrades. With a single look passed between us, Jasper dropped next to them. I waited in the trees.

His confrontation startled the lions, and the male hissed viciously, blocking the female from Jasper. I waited. Jasper hissed back. His tone had the male's ears lay flat against his head, poised to attack. Any single move and he'd attack Jasper. I waited.

Jasper crouched suddenly, sinking his size in front of the lion and suddenly Jasper wasn't that much of a threat to the male. He pounced. Before his back paws left the forest floor, I was on his back. My fingers dug into his flesh, holding on. And I easily dropped my mouth to his neck.

The female was moving now. She had backed up in the stand off and Jasper darted behind her. Before she could react, his teeth had torn her flesh. Her cry shook the birds from the trees. We fed silently, sucking the lions dry.

I took a deep breath and stood, eyes on the carcas under me. I looked to Jasper just as he licked his lips clean. His eyes shone with a fresh satisfaction of his hunger.

"Shall we meet the others?"

I nodded once to his simple question and we took off running but it was a leisurely run. I watched him again and he caught me looking, smiling softly.

"A part of me hates to leave." He said simply. I nodded.

"Suddenly, I can't even fathom leaving Forks. I met Bella here, I had Ness here. It's home."

"You have to leave some time. You can't spend a hundred years in hiding, waiting for people to forget about you."

I looked down. "I know." He slowed again. His hand on my forearm stopped me. Suddenly, he pulled me into a sturdy hug.

"I can't imagine leaving, either."

I smiled at him. "Then why are you?"

He shrugged, "We should at least try...try to forget miserable Forks. Alice and I chose Africa for a reason. We don't have to hide like we do here. There won't be a human to be found in our territory, expect the rare misguided tourist... we can be ourselves."

He felt my sympathy again. _Don't look at me like that, Yank. _I smiled at his thoughts. I dropped to sit on a mossy rock.

"Strangely... hiding seems to have become _a part _of me. I'd be so strange to be free like that, Jasper." I looked up at him seriously. He looked away. I frowned again. "I don't mean it like that, Jazz."

"I know what you all think of me. I'm the wild animal." I stood again, "Don't try to deny it, Edward. Excuse me for not wanting to be afraid of _killing_ my niece!"

"You wouldn't."

"That's what you all like to say, but none of you know. None of you know what I go through _every day_. I've thought about _the wolves_ when my hunger was strong enough." His voice dripped with self depricating sarcasm, "Smell or no, human blood's all that same, right?!"

I laughed a little bit and he looked at me sharply. "_I know_ what you go through because I _hear_ it, Jazz." He looked down. "It's good that you and Alice are getting away for a few years. But not because I'm worried about you killing anyone. It's because we _all _deserved to get away.

"You're right. It would be nice to be free. But then I think of a world were vampires are out in the open, where we rule the world. And I realize how happy I am with my wife and my daughter. Even with her rotten boyfriend. I'm happy with all of you."

Jasper looked up and smiled at me, the small sort of half smirk that told me he was with me all the way. He never needed to say what he thought, you just had to look close enough to see it.

"Alice is restless." Was the rest of his explanation.

"C'mon. Carlisle and Emmett will be waiting." We were off before I was finished with my sentence. I saw Emmett from half a mile away through the trees, whooping vicoriously and thrusting a caribou buck carcass over his head.

"Eight points!" He cried. Carlisle laughed at him. The run back was fairly slow as we took in our surroundings.

"I think Esme's going to pull her hair out with so few people to fuss over." Carlisle mused when we were halfway home. Emmett barked a laugh.

"We're just gunna be south of the boarder, papito!" Jasper rolled his eyes at Emmett.

"I know, Emmett." Carlisle answered, "It'll be the smallest our covens been since you and Alice joined."

We were silent for moment as we ran.

"It'll be quiet." I said finally.

Emmett grinned, "Naw, you got that little firecracker and her friend moving in."

He liked Sophia, Emmett did. She was loud and pretty and could give him a run for his money in a fight, thought not for long. Everyone took to her easily. And Carlos was easy enough to handle, quiet and thoughtful. He actually reminded me of myself, in a way.

I wondered momentarily how things would be different when Jasper and Alice came back, when Emmett and Rosalie came back. We would need to keep food in the house, more than the little we had for Ness. Things would be much more...human. Bella would like that.

Jasper shot me a look. I wasn't sure what kind of emotion he felt from me, but I kept running. It wasn't a bad thing. None of this was bad. A hundred years from now, this wouldn't even exist in our minds, as if we could forget it.

_Sad?_ Jasper thought. I nodded once, but continued to smile.

"It's bittersweet." I answered him and Emmett and Carlisle didn't even realize I was addressing his thoughts. They hummed in agreement.

At the house, the smell of wolves was caught easily along with Ness. I picked up my pace. Carlisle laughed.

"You get used to them." He said. I furrowed my brow at him before I caught his thoughts. _People taking your babies away._ I stopped with him, surprised. Emmett and Jasper went on.

"What?"

"You get used to people taking your kids away." Carlisle repeated.

"Carlisle, I never--"

"Rosalie." He said simply. "When she brought Emmett, I changed him without question. But as soon as Esme noticed them getting closer..." Carlisle laughed, "I instantly regretted it. She was our baby, that beautiful girl I found after...those men." The anger in Carlisle's voice was nearly astonishing.

He smiled indulgently at me. "I'm human, Edward." He paused and looked down at his choice of wording. "I was, at least. You understand what I mean. My only daughter is suddenly being swept away by some Tennessee burly man." Edward laughed suddenly at his description of Emmett.

Carlisle laughed with me. "You understand where I'm coming from, Edward. I've never been able to talk to someone about this. It's not like there are a lot of vampires I know who are fathers. Or even are anything close to fathers.

"We're unique, Edward. But I love it. It connects us to humanity in a way that... that can't be replaced. It makes you just like Charlie and just like Billy and just like Edward Mason, Sr." I smiled at the ground. "We're fathers, Edward. We're all the same in our basest form.

"I began to love Emmett just as I loved you. As a son. And after a couple decades, it was normal. Alice came with Jasper and all that was left was you... and by that time, I was ready."

My voice was quiet, "Ready for what?"

"Ready to see you happy. You'll get there, Edward. Esme was actually afraid to tell me about Bella the first time Rosalie mentioned her." He laughed fondly, "She was afraid I'd react the same. But... I was ready. You get past those sorts of things. They're superficial really."

That sort of stung. He laughed again. "The protectiveness, the competition, the constant need to know where she is at all times. It passes. Because sooner or later, all you want is to see her happy."

A silence passed between us and his hand patted my back. Carlisle started to head back to the house at a relatively human speed, smiling softly with his hands in his pockets. I felt rather silly. From where we stood in the back forest, I could see the family gathering in the large glass window.

Emmett had Rosalie against his chest beside Esme, who wouldn't stop touching her babies before they left. Bella was laughing next to Alice and Jasper. Carlos stood respectfully near the wall, smiling with Embry's hand in his. Embry was leaning toward the group, trying to wean Carlos into the circle of everyone talking.

At the center, Renesmee sat enthusiastically retelling a story and whenever necessary, Jacob would jump in, acting to be one person in the story or an other, funny faces and exaggerated hand motions. Ness collapsed into a fit of giggles and the room wasn't far behind. Carlisle came in and Esme went to him, touching his chest affectionately. Carlisle smiled back.

Jacob threw his arms around Ness's neck and pulled her head to his chest. Their laughter slowly dissipated that only left satisfied smiles as Jacob rocked her back in forth against him.

I was inside in a second and smiled as Jacob stiffened. _There's a room full of witnesses._ Jacob warned, eyes surreptitiously on me. I laughed.

"It's fine, Jacob."

Bella laughed out loud, fully aware of what passed between us. I went to her, kissed her softly and hugged her. _You're hugging her just as he hugs Nessie. _It was Carlisle. I turned to smile at him.

The night went on as did our spirits. Embry wasn't used to being a permanent member of the house and was nearly as uneasy as Carlos—but only in his head. He acted as if it was totally normal to be talking the night away with a room full of vampires, all to make his imprint more at ease. And Carlos didn't even think about the fact that he was the only human in the room. He only wanted us to like him.

In a hundred years... won't that be a sight. The absence of Alice, Jasper, Emmett, or Rosalie will be a blip on the radar. We could be in Forks again, back in high school. I'd be with Bella, and Jacob and Ness could be there. Strange, going to school with your daughter. But she'd even be in the year above me.

Maybe we would have some little fractions to claim were our even younger adopted siblings. I smiled at that. A large Olympian Coven, indeed.

Carlos would be long gone, and every other wolf of this generation who had a mortal imprint. That struck me as terribly sad. I blinked in surprise at myself. Jasper looked sharply at me but I only smiled. _Sad again?_

"It's bittersweet." I answered again.

There was a sudden slam against the door. Ness was grinning wildly. Carlisle went to answer it, but as he reached for the door, the door swung open and Carlos's grin matched Ness's.

"P-A-R-T...Why?" Sophia stood in the entrance way, arms high above her head, "Because, _I gotta._"

* * *

There's number two. Let me know what you thought.

Thanks!

Hey, quick question. What're you more anxious to read? A smutty companion piece to _The Zone _or the nail biting continuation to _String Theory?_

I'm trying to decide which to write next....

Fun Fact: I wrote this watching Edward Scissorhands for the first time in my life. Beautiful movie.


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